1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a damage minimizing closure door that is moved vertically between open and closed positions in which the door is flexible and a guide assembly is mounted on the side edges of the doorway for receiving and guiding the side edges of the flexible door during vertical movement. The flexible door or curtain and the guide assembly include unique features which enable the side edges of the curtain to separate from the guide assembly upon being impacted by an externally applied force, such as by a vehicle, without damaging the curtain or guide assembly and also enabling the side edges of the curtain to be easily reinserted into the guide assembly.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Vertically disposed doors which move between open and closed positions are well known as are such doors or curtains constructed of flexible material with guides along the side edges of the opening receiving, retaining and guiding the side edges of the curtain. My prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,131,450 issued Jul. 21, 1992 and 5,163,495 issued Nov. 17, 1992 disclose this type of door. In addition, the following U.S. Patents also disclose structures which are relevant to this invention.
1,393,405 PA1 4,175,608 PA1 4,478,268 PA1 4,610,293 PA1 5,176,194
As indicated in the above patents and the prior art of record in those patents when a flexible door or curtain is used as a vertically movable door, it is necessary to provide a guide structure along the side edges thereof for retaining the side edges in a slot-like structure during vertical movement of the flexible door or curtain. Also, as indicated, it is desirable to provide a structure which enables the side edges of the flexible curtain to separate from the guide structure in the event the flexible curtain is subjected to an excessive impact force such as a vehicle striking the door but withstand wind or air pressure without disengagement from the guide. However, the above prior patents do not disclose a structure equivalent to the unique features of the present invention which guides the side edges of the flexible curtain, enables the side edges to separate from the guide structure upon excessive impact force and enables the side edges of the curtain to be easily reinserted into the guide structures thereby avoiding damage to the flexible curtain in the event of excessive impact forces engaging the flexible curtain.